To those qualified in the techniques of
PLASTICS
MARKETS
Half of Acetylene Capacity Used End use pattern has changed in marked manner; acetic and vinyls employ 2 % of total against \7°fo in 1949 REPORT on acetylene just isSPECIAL sued by the Business and Defense
as applied to the field of advanced
GUIDED | MISSILES j ^
I
The Laboratories are engaged, among other projectst in a highly advanced research and development program devoted to production of the Hughes guided missile.
ENGINEERS or APPLIED PHYSICISTS
familiar with non-metallic materials are required to plan, coordinate, and conduct special laboratory and field test programs on missile components. These men should have 'experience in materials development, laboratory instrumentation, and the design of test fixtures. RESEARCH CHEMIST
The Plastics Department of the Microwave Laboratory has need for an individual with a Ph.D. Degree, or equivalent experience in organic or physical chemistry', to investigate the basic properties of plastics. The work involves r e search into the properties of flow, the mechanisms of cure, vapor transmission, and the electrical and physical characteristics of plastics.
HUGHES RESEARCH A N D D E V E L O P M E N T LABORATORIES
Science and Engineering Staff CULVER CITY, LOS ANGELES COUNTY. CALIFORNIA
2950
Seryices Administration shows a marked downward trend in its consumption for chemical manufacture although capacity for its production expanded materially during t h e period 1949-53. Rated capacity for making acetylene from calcium carbide and from noncarbide processes is placed at 14,415 million cubic feet at the beginning of 1954. Production during the year was 7030 m. c. f., so that ratio of production to total capacity was only 4 9 % . Comparisons for recent years follows : Output Capacity (m.c.f.) (m.c.f.) Ratio 6710 60 1949 11,175 7660 66 1950 11,545 7850 59 1953 13,245 7030 49 1954 14,415 Survey notes that t h e ratio of capacity, which rose from 60% in 1949 to 66% in 1950, fell off materially in 1953 and 1954 largely as t h e result of extensive additions to capacity in the 1 9 5 2 54 period. Consumption Shifts. Marked changes have taken place in the end use patterns for acetylene in the meanwhile. During the year 1949, some 17% of acetylene consumption was accounted for by acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and vinyl acetate and their derivatives. In 1954 this share h a d dropped to 2 7 c This resulted from a switch from acetylene in the production of these chemicals to cracked petroleum hydrocarbons as the raw materials. This was particularly true in the instance of acetic acid and some of the vinyl derivatives. During 1954 there was a slight pickup in demand for acetylene in the manufacture of vinyl and vinylidene chlorides. Comment in the industry on this report said the reference was obviously to growing use of t h e partial oxidation of methane (Sache process) by t h e industry. Monsanto is producing acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride in this manner at Texas City, and Carbide and Carbon Chemicals is turning out vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate at the same point. American Cyanamid's product at its New Orleans plant is acrylonitrile. Acetylene from carbide has been bypassed by other more recently devel-
oped methods of manufacturing chemicals. Du Pont employed acetylene at its old Waynesboro plant in this manner for the production of acetaldehyde and acetic anhydride. It now finds it more economic to purchase its acetic anhydride in the market. Consumption Total. While production of acetylene from all sources in 1954 was 7030 m.c.f., it is noted in the BDSA report that consumption in the aggregate was 8800 m.c.f. (600 million pounds) and further, that this represented an increase of some 12% over 1953. Consuming groups which employed more acetylene last year compared with 1953 were acetic acid, acetaldehyde, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, and vinyl acetate monomers (221 m.c.f.); vinyl and vinylidene chlorides (1272 m.c.f.); and the miscellaneous group (3183 m.c.f.). T h e latter includes the chlorinated rubbers such as neoprene as well as acylonitrile. Groups which consumed less last year were metal welding, cutting, and scarfing (3994 m.c.f.); trichloroethylcne a n d perchloroethylene ( 9 3 m.c.f.); and methyl styrene (none in 1954 as compared with negligible amount in 1953). Nostalgic memories of acetylene lamps for automobiles a n d bicycles will be dealt a rude blow when it is learned from the government report that illumination as an end use for acetylene has "all hut disappeared from t h e picture." More Capacity Planned. The BDSA survey indicates there will b e an increase of 10% in capacity during 1955, which will bring t h e total annual rated acetylene-producing capacity to 15.8 billion cubic feet. In the. industry it is believed that practically all of the new acetylene facilities will find utilization in chemical manufacture. Consumption of oxy-acetylene is expected to remain large for welding a n d cutting in the steel a n d metal industries, but its importance on a percentage basis will probably continue to d e cline. These uses accounted for 3 3 % of total acetylene consumption in 1949, and increased further in importance t o 57% of t h e total in 1953. Last year the use of acetylene for these purposes dropped to 46%. The acetylene study was based on data submitted by calcium carbide pro-
CHEMICAL
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
ducers and noncarbide acetylene producers covering 1953 and 1954. Resin Competition. Action of Bakélite in slashing prices for its vinyl resins 9 to 18% recently was due partly but not entirely to foreign competition in this field. C. W. Blount who heads up Bakélite sales said that the reductions were made after careful consideration of various factors, the most important of which is market expansion. Industrial use of vinyl resins over the past 20 years, he said, has grown from 2.5 million pounds to an estimated 410 million pounds in 1954. Until a few years ago, vinyl resin producers were hard pressed to keep abreast of the rapidly growing demand for these versatile products. This situation has changed within recent years. "Imported vinyl resins have increased in volume some 600% over the past year or so, and ordinarily sell at a price several cents per pound lower than domestically produced poly (vinyl chloride) . Bakelite's reduced prices will give it a better chance to compete with foreign made material." European Expansion. Italy is reported in the trade to have supplied most of the competition in vinyls in this market. The industry has undergone considerable expansion there in recent years, and it has also achieved considerable progress in other countries, notably Germany and France. The Commerce Department learns that production of plastic materials and products in West Germany last year expanded 36r/
